Length of first supervised sentence

Young people with shorter first supervised sentences were more likely to return to sentenced supervision than young people who served longer first supervised sentences (Supplementary table S3). This may be due to several factors, including length of first supervised sentence and subsequent access to, and completion of, services. Further, longer sentences may limit the time and opportunity for a young person to engage in behaviour that would lead to subsequent sentences.

Young people with a first supervised sentence of community-based supervision that was less than 3 months were 1.5 times as likely as young people with a first supervised sentence longer than 9 months to return to sentenced supervision (50% and 33%, respectively) (Supplementary table S3).

This difference was more pronounced for detention, where young people with a sentence of less than 3 months were 3.1 times as likely as young people with a sentence longer than 9 months to return to sentenced supervision (68% and 22%, respectively) (Supplementary table S3).

Incidence rate of return

Young people serving longer sentences may have less time available to return to sentenced supervision before turning 18. To examine this for the first supervised sentence of community-based supervision and detention, the incidence rate of return by length of sentence was calculated (see Appendix).

The results showed a clear difference between sentences shorter and longer than 6 months for young people with a first supervised sentence of detention. The incidence rate of return for young people with a first supervised sentence of detention of less than 3 months was higher than for those with a first supervised sentence of detention of longer than 9 months (1.13 per person year for less than 3 months compared with 0.75 for greater than 9 months) (Figure 1.6).

Figure 1.6: Young people with more than 1 supervised sentence from 2000–01 to 2023–24: incidence rate of return by length and type of first supervised sentence

This chart shows that young people who had short first supervised sentences of detention sentences have higher incidence rates of return.

Notes:

  1. Data relates to young people aged 10–17 who were supervised from 2000–01 to 2023–24.
  2. Northern Territory data was not available for young people who had a sentence start in 2023–24.

Source: Supplementary table S3a | Data source overview

The relationship between sentence length and returning to sentenced supervision may be due to access to, and completion of, services designed to prevent young people returning to sentenced supervision. For example:

  • young people serving shorter sentences may be less likely to complete rehabilitative programs if the sentence is shorter than the program, and participation in it is not continued or completed once a young person exits youth justice supervision
  • young people serving longer community-based supervised sentences may have more time spent on rehabilitative programs, thus reducing the likelihood of returning to sentenced supervision
  • young people in unsentenced detention might not be provided with rehabilitative services until they receive a sentence. Some sentenced orders are backdated to consider time already served in unsentenced detention. In these cases, for shorter sentences, the time available to complete a rehabilitative service is further reduced relative to young people with longer sentences
  • young people released from longer detention sentences may be more likely to be released on parole or supervised release than young people released from shorter sentences. With this continuation of supervision within the community, there may be a reduced likelihood of subsequent offending and returning to sentenced supervision.
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